WASHINGTON – Michigan State University's embattled Board of Trustees came under harsh criticism for its handling of the Larry Nassar case by members of the state's congressional delegation on Wednesday, with some wondering whether trustees should be removed from office, sources told the Free Press.

Several people at the closed-door meeting with former Michigan governor and MSU Interim President John Engler and another former governor, James Blanchard, who is representing the university, told the Free Press that there was general agreement that the board should be held more accountable in the Nassar case.

While none of those inside spoke for attribution, citing the confidential nature of the gathering Wednesday morning, two acknowledged that U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, in particular vented his frustrations that the board didn't do more to respond to sexual assault allegations at the university and wondered openly whether a process to hold members accountable is needed.

Two people quoted Upton, an influential member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as saying the current members of the board "need to go."

The sources said other members of the state's delegation seemed to agree, with one, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, calling the university's handling of the Nassar case — in which the former sports doctor was convicted of sexually molesting dozens of women athletes — "inexcusable."

At present, board members at MSU, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University are elected, and Gov. Rick Snyder has balked at opening an inquiry process to remove trustees from office, saying it would be extensive and could conflict with other investigations under way.

A Republican political consultant, Dennis Lennox, has filed a lawsuit to try to force Snyder to call inquiries into the removal of board members. The governor selects board members at Michigan's other higher education institutions.

The meeting with Engler and Blanchard came at a time when at least three congressional committees are asking MSU and others for documentation regarding the complaints against Nassar and how they were handled, as well as the processes in place for responding to sexual harassment and abuse complaints.

Upton told the Free Press following the meeting that he does not expect the investigation in his committee to stop at asking for documents but said it is likely the panel will at some point take testimony under oath.

"We fully intend to have a hearing on this," he said.

Other investigations or requests for documents from MSU, USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee and others are under way by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the U.S. Department of Education, the state attorney general's office and others.

In Lansing, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday passed a supplemental budget bill that will, in part, give Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette $1 million for his investigation of MSU. The bill passed unanimously and now moves to the full Senate.

Nassar, a once-respected sports medicine practitioner who was employed by MSU and also worked for USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic team, has been sentenced to decades in prison, with more than 150 women accusing him of molesting them. In the wake of his sentencing, MSU President Lou Anna Simon stepped down last month, being replaced by Engler on an interim basis.

This week, the U.S. Department of Education also said it was sending another wave of investigators to the university to look into its handling of complaints involving Nassar.

Engler said he and Blanchard met with the delegation because of the various investigations under way. He told the Free Press that the university has or is in the process of complying with every request for documentation about its handling of the case and that "north of 150,000" pages have been sent to investigators so far.

“Everybody’s got a lot of questions because this is a very serious issue," Engler said. "We've got a lot of women — young girls at the time — that were damaged by a very evil doctor. We've also got a broader national debate playing out about sexual assault. ... Gov. Blanchard and I felt we needed to come down and give everybody an update."

Speaking after the meeting, Kildee said the delegation's message was that the university has "to honestly deal with the problems" and "to acknowledge there was a failure." He said there seemed to be a "real commitment" to deal honestly and sincerely with the problems MSU faces.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said Engler talked at length about moves to replace certain personnel and respond to the various investigations that are under way, as well as how to change a culture in which allegations may not have been appropriately addressed.

She added, however, that she wants to make sure that the victims "continue to be heard in all of this and it’s not just a bureaucratic process." According to sources inside the meeting, Stabenow and others also cautioned Engler and Blanchard to make sure that MSU's response to various investigations includes concerns for the victims as well.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, said he thought the university response was moving in the right direction.

"There is still a lot of work to be done but they are listening to the concerns of survivors and instituting polices that will move the university forward and give confidence to the public," he said.

Contact Todd Spangler: 703-854-8947 or tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.